Mediterranean Escapes by - Rick Stein’s

Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escape is not about food alone. It is a saga of the culture around the Mediterranean, peppered with rich anecdotes about how folks live their lives, what they eat and how and when did they began eating it.

The sun, sea and the sand will lose half its allure if there is no food and drinks before or after. What if there is a cook-book that offers the other grandeurs as well? Those who are aware of Rick Stein are allowed to smirk: for others, this is a lifetime opportunity.

A companion volume to Stein’s five-part television series for BBC2, Mediterranean Escapes comes with sunning visuals of food by Earl Carter and mind-blowing landscapes by Craig-Easton. 11 chapters comprising 216 pages of gastronomic delights and visual extravaganza: it is a treat that you always craved for but never managed.

Tabbouleh, Focaccia, Spiced Octopus Salad, Baked Greek Omelette, Caponata, Imam Bayildi, Braised Artichokes, Easter Lamb, Seared Swordfish Steaks, Chicken and Prawn Paella, Moroccan Chicken, Kleftiko, Stifado, Seafood Couscous ,Spaghettini
,Bulgar Wheat Pilaf ,Crema Catalana ,Baklava ,Moroccan Orange Salad ,Almond Cake with Almond Ice Cream ,Zabaglione ,Sicilian Orange Cake are only a tiny fragment of the mouth-watering concoctions that Rick cooks up.

Each recipe has a general opening paragraph comprising title/s (both foreign and English, where applicable), place of origin, complete list of ingredients and a lucid instruction, followed by suggested variations if applicable. Rick’s stellar quality is his honesty and he leaves no stones unturned to acknowledge his debt to recipes and cooks, both in the present and in the hoary past. Rick is a perfect example of the old proverb that says that anybody can cook but only an honest individual can make a great cook.

Mediterranean Escape is not only utilitarian; it is a collector’s item as well. Food is the watermark of any culture and Stein spruces up his Mediterranean gastronomic odyssey with colorful anecdotes about people and places that he encounters on his food trek. Food, drink, sunny places and classy people make Mediterranean Escape an ode to the best in life.